Spatiotemporal evolution of urban theft crimes and mechanism in the context of regular COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control: A case study of Haining, Zhejiang

Existing studies show that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on crime occurrences. However, it remains to be empirically examined whether the regular pandemic prevention and control measures in China can significantly affect the spatial patterns of crimes. To fill this gap, this study chosed the central urban area of Haining City in Zhejiang Province, which had taken the regular pandemic prevention and control measures, as the research area. Using standard deviation ellipse and kernel density estimation methods, this study examined the spatiotemporal patterns of theft crimes between February 2018 and July 2021 in the study area. The results show that: 1) While there were no significant changes in the hourly patterns of theft crimes within a day, the monthly number of thefts in the study area decreased by an average of 53% after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and fluctuated between 100 to 200 thefts per month. The regular COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures had a long-term and stable inhibitory effect on the number of theft crimes in Haining City. 2) The intensity and amount of hotspots for theft crimes in the study area decreased significantly during February 2020 and July 2021 when compared with the pre-pandemic period, and the spatial distribution patterns of theft crimes were relatively stable. 3) For the 12 crime hotspots identified for the pre-pandemic period, the monthly number of crimes decreased between 52% and 78% on average after the outbreak while trajectories of their quarterly temporal changes differed significantly. The average crime drop for the 12 hotspot areas were 63%, which was higher than that for the whole study area. 4) Seven crime-control measures were identified among the regular pandemic prevention and control measures based on the routine activity theory and the crime triangle theory. Functional type of place, geographic location, and pre-pandemic local governance ability all played an important role in affecting the actual crime-control effects of the seven regular COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures. The results of this study are important for understanding the spatial evolution of crimes under the influence of major public health emergencies and for formulating scientific strategies for crime prevention and control. © 2023, Editorial office of PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY. All rights reserved.

Perception of Hurricane and COVID-19 Risks for Household Evacuation and Shelter Intentions

The COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges for scholars and government officials to predict people's evacuation decisions under a conflicting natural disaster. In this study, we examined households' evacuation and shelter intentions given the potential conflicts between the perceived risks from a hurricane and the coexisting public health crisis. We surveyed households living inside hurricane evacuation zones in Florida during the 2020 hurricane season. Data were first used to examine the evacuation and shelter intentions before and during the pandemic. We then measured respondents' hurricane and COVID-19 risk perception, respectively. The impacts of both risk perceptions on respondents' hurricane evacuation intentions were explored. We found that when people felt unsafe to stay home for a Category 2, 3, or 4 hurricane, their intended evacuation was about the same before and during the pandemic regardless of their COVID-19 risk perception. The COVID-19 risk perception, however, significantly lowered the evacuation intention for a Category 1 hurricane. It also significantly influenced evacuees' preference for nontraditional shelters such as government-contracted hotels. The results of our study have practical implications for emergency management and public health governance. Our study also provides insights into decision-making under the conflict between natural hazards and infectious diseases. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] La pandemia del COVID-19 planteó nuevos retos a los eruditos y funcionarios gubernamentales para predecir las decisiones de evacuación de la gente sometida a un desastre natural conflictivo. En este estudio, examinamos la evacuación e intenciones de albergue de familias teniendo en cuenta potenciales conflictos entre los riesgos percibidos de un huracán y las crisis coexistentes en la salud pública. Encuestamos a las familias que residían en las zonas de evacuación por huracanes de la Florida durante la temporada de huracanes del 2020. Los datos se usaron primero para examinar las intenciones de evacuación y de refugio antes y durante la pandemia. Después, medimos la percepción del riesgo de afectaciones por huracanes y COVID-19 de los encuestados, respectivamente. Se exploraron los impactos de ambos tipos de percepciones de riesgo en las intenciones de evacuación, por encuestado. Hallamos que cuando la gente se siente insegura de permanecer en casa frente a huracanes de las categorías 2, 3 y 4, su evacuación intencionada era más o menos la misma de antes y durante la pandemia, sin importar la percepción del riesgo de COVID-19. No obstante, la percepción del riesgo de COVID-19 redujo de manera significativa la evaluación de la intención de evacuación para un huracán de categoría 1. Eso también influyó significativamente en la preferencia de los evacuados por refugios no tradicionales, como los hoteles contratados por el gobierno. Los resultados de nuestro estudio tienen implicaciones prácticas en el manejo de las emergencias y la gobernanza de la salud pública. También proporciona nuestro estudio nuevas visiones en lo que concierne a toma de decisiones bajo condiciones de conflicto entre las catástrofes naturales y la enfermedades contagiosas. (Spanish) [ FROM AUTHOR] 新冠肺炎流行病与其它自然灾害相互冲突, 给专家和政府预测人群的疏散决定提出了新的挑战。我们探讨了家庭疏散和避难的意愿, 考虑了飓风的感知风险与公共卫生危机之间的潜在冲突。我们调查了2020年飓风季节美国佛罗里达州飓风疏散区内的家庭。首先, 基于数据探讨了流行病之前和期间的疏散和避难意愿。然后, 我们分别度量了受访者对飓风和新冠肺炎的风险感知。探讨了这两种风险感知对受访者飓风疏散意愿的影响。我们发现, 在2、3或4级飓风中, 当人们认为居家危险时, 不管如何感知新冠肺炎风险, 人们在新冠肺炎流行之前和期间的疏散意愿大致相同。然而, 新冠肺炎风险感知显著降低了1级飓风的撤离意愿。它还显著影响了疏散者对非传统庇护所（如, 政府指定酒店）的偏好。我们的研究结果, 对应急管理和公共卫生治理具有实际意义。我们的研究, 还为自然灾害和传染病相互冲突情况下的决策提供了见解。 (Chinese) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Professional Geographer is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Rice-farming areas report more anxiety across two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in China

Cultures responded to the COVID-19 pandemic differently. We investigated cultural differences in mental health during the pandemic. We found regional differences in people's reports of anxiety in China over two years from 2020 to 2021 (N = 1186). People in areas with a history of rice farming reported more anxiety than people in wheat-farming areas. Next, we explored more proximal mechanisms that could help link the distal, historical factor of rice farming to people's modern experience of anxiety. Rice areas scored higher on collectivism and tight social norms than wheat areas, and collectivism, rather than norm tightness, mediated the rice-anxiety relationship. These findings advance our understanding of the distal sources of cultural differences, the proximal mechanisms, and mental health problems during the pandemics.

Politics Go "Viral": A Computational Text Analysis of the Public Attribution and Attitude Regarding the COVID-19 Crisis and Governmental Responses on Twitter

The U.S. confronts an unprecedented public health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, in the presidential election year in 2020. In such a compound situation, a real-time dynamic examination of how the general public ascribe the crisis responsibilities taking account to their political ideologies is helpful for developing effective strategies to manage the crisis and diminish hostility toward particular groups caused by polarization. Social media, such as Twitter, provide platforms for the public's COVID-related discourse to form, accumulate, and visibly present. Meanwhile, those features also make social media a window to monitor the public responses in real-time. This research conducted a computational text analysis of 2,918,376 tweets sent by 829,686 different U.S. users regarding COVID-19 from January 24 to May 25, 2020. Results indicate that the public's crisis attribution and attitude toward governmental crisis responses are driven by their political identities. One crisis factor identified by this study (i.e., threat level) also affects the public's attribution and attitude polarization. Additionally, we note that pandemic fatigue was identified in our findings as early as in March 2020. This study has theoretical, practical, and methodological implications informing further health communication in a heated political environment. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Social Science Computer Review is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Understanding the use of digital finance among older internet users in urban China: Evidence from an online convenience sample

Inclusive digital financial services should welcome older populations and make them beneficiaries of the digital and financial revolution. To understand older adults' experience of using digital financial tools, we conducted an online survey of 268 older internet users aged 60 or above from urban areas of 14 Chinese provinces after China's nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2021. Our results revealed that older internet surfers were active in digital financial activities and engaged most with activities that were highly compatible with their lifestyles. Active users significantly differed from inactive users in sociodemographics, confirming that a digital divide related to social stratification exists among older internet users. Digital finance active users were also distinguished from inactive users' attitudes and perceptions toward digital finance. Logistic regression results indicated that perceived usefulness, access to proper devices for digital finance, risk perceptions, and perceived exclusion if not using technology were associated with their adoption of these advanced tools. Older adults reported the perceived inconvenience of in-person financial services during the lockdown. They also expressed a willingness to participate in relevant training if provided. The findings of this study could help aging-related practitioners to understand older adults' engagement in digital finance and guide policy and project design in the area of financial inclusion of the aging population.

Challenges of Teaching English Language Online: Teachers Perspective

Virtual online teaching was adopted at the Iraqi educational institutions: schools and universities when COVID-19 break out. It was the only alternative to revival the education sector after locking down schools and universities by the condition of the quarantine. The scenario of locking down schools and universities after the spread of COVID-19 pandemic pushed stakeholders and decision makers to switch the educational process to the online mode (Thi1 &Minh, 2021). This sudden shift arose many issues and challenges which was faced by both teachers as well as learners, soon questions about the validity and authenticity of the educational process and outcomes were raised. The current study seeks to uncover hidden issues and challenges which English language teachers at Diyala University encounter at this critical period 2019-2022. A semi-structured interview was utilized as the instrument of this small scale qualitative and descriptive study. The qualitative raw data obtained from the interview transcripts were thematically coded and analyzed. The finding were interpreted in two directions: first: failure of the new online teaching process in obtaining the desired educational outcomes outlined by the ministries of education and higher education due to several reasons: uncontrolled examination session which led to student cheating and resulted in unauthentic grading marks. In addition to internet connection issues which is added to the teachers burden and affect negatively EFL teaching process. Secondly: it was proven that online teaching can be beneficial in the sense that it can save time and effort if new strategies of assessment were adopted, intensive training courses for teachers as well as students were applied, in addition to providing good internet service for both student and teacher. © 2023 Otjivanda Presse.Essen. All rights reserved.

Performance Analysis of Learner Behavior Through Online Learning Using Learning Management System

This paper discusses the performance analysis of learner behavior through online learning using Learning Management System (LMS). The analysis is performed based on the survey of lecturers and students activities. The parameters of survey consist of the problems discussion which arise in the online learning, the level of student absorption of lecture material, the level of student attendance, and the feedback on lecturer performance carried out by students. Problems that arise in the online learning include lecturers are not being able to control as much as 37%, network disturbances are as much as 22%, students having difficulty understanding lecture material are as much as 19% which are indicated by students with D score of 10%, C score of 60%, and B score of 30%. Meanwhile 17% of students use LMS and the remaining 5% have no problems with the online learning. On the other hand, students have difficulty obtaining connection for online learning of 45%, do not have a quota of 28%, and lazy of 17%. Lecturer performance feedback carried out by students based on competency parameters of pedagogic, personality, professionalism, and social shows very good score. © 2023 IEEE.

Social media use, psychological well-being and physical health during lockdown

In efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented a variety of lockdown and quarantine measures. With substantially reduced face-to-face interactions, many people may have relied heavily on social media for connection, information, and entertainment. However, little is known about the psychological and physical health implications of social media use during strict lockdown. The current study investigates the associations of social media use with psychological well-being and physical health among Wuhan residents (N = 1214). Our findings showed that non-COVID related self-disclosure was positively associated with psychological well-being, while COVID related information consumption and sharing were negatively associated with psychological well-being. Further, more generic use of social media was associated with lower psychological well-being, which in turn related to more somatic symptoms. Quarantined people used social media more frequently than non-quarantined people. Importantly, the negative association between social media use and psychological well-being was significantly stronger for quarantined people than unquarantined people. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Information, Communication & Society is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Has Digitalisation Mitigated the Impact of Covid-19 on the Manufacturing Sector's Performance?

The Covid-19 pandemic brought many businesses to a standstill as international travel restriction was imposed across countries in addition to a national lockdown. Firm performances were depressed due to reduced order and output. This study examines whether digitalization has mitigated the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Malaysia's manufacturing sector. Using sales as the performance yardstick of 24 industrial sectors from January to December 2020, our result shows that manufacturing sales performance was negatively related to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the adverse impact of Covid-19 was mitigated with a higher level of digitalization. The mitigating role of digitalization remains robust in further analysis. This study has managed to quantify the mitigating effect of Covid-19 on manufacturing sectors. As a policy implication, the government should expedite the introduction of the 5G network, promote digital adoption across all sectors to ensure business continuity and provide an effective response mechanism in any pandemic or crisis. © 2023, University of Wollongong. All rights reserved.

Challenges Facing India, Myanmar and Thailand: The Future of Democratic Progress

In addition to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, India, Myanmar and Thailand face a myriad of crises that pose a serious challenge to each society's democracy, development and equality. The chapter probes into the influence external powers may have on the region's democratic progress by asking the following questions: What are the implications of China's rise for the rest of Asia, and in particular, India, Myanmar and Thailand? Has China or the US contributed to the recent illiberal trends in the region? In any case, the effect of US-China relations in the region's security, development and the respect of democratic values will have an enduring and profound influence on Asia after the pandemic. As the world moves towards meeting UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is up to India, Myanmar, Thailand and other countries in Asia to also uphold them, including democratic values. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Students and young trade workers neuropsychiatric maladjustment assessment under COVID-19 epidemic restrictions

Introduction. Since March 2020, the introduction of a self-isolation regime and significant restrictions on personal contacts at work and school in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an expansion of the introduction of information technologies and a sharp restriction of direct interpersonal communication. The introduction of these restrictions has had a stressful effect on the body of both workers and students of various age groups, including young people. For a successful analysis of the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the psychophysiological state of these categories of young workers and students, it seems appropriate to assess the state of maladaptation, self-assessment of nervous and somatic well-being. The study aims to assess the impact on the adaptive psychophysiological parameters of young trade workers and students of the changed working and study conditions against the background of the COVID–19 epidemic situation (self-isolation). Materials and methods. The object of the study was two groups of people who have a wide range of communication with colleagues and people around them, but differ in the content of their activities: students and trade workers. Scientists have conducted the study in two stages: before the pandemic (2013) and during the pandemic (December 2020) due to drastic changes in the algorithm of existence and work/study. We have examined 119 students aged 20–24 years (RGSU). There were 61 people at the first stage of the study (2013), there were 58 people at the second stage (2020, December). The second group (trade workers): 66 people aged 20–29 years. At the first stage of the study (2013), 34 people were included, at the second stage — 32 people. Experts have carried out the assessment of the psychophysiological parameters of the examined according to the questionnaire of neuropsychiatric maladjustment (ONPD). The condition for inclusion in the groups in 2020–2021 is the absence of a history of transferred COVID-19. Results. During the tense epidemic situation (2019-2021), against the background of the spread of COVID-19 and forced self-isolation of all population groups, the lifestyle has radically changed. Face-to-face communication has been minimized, but communication using information technology in all spheres of life (daily life, study, work) has increased dramatically. The researchers found that among the surveyed population groups (students and sales workers), the spread of signs of mental discomfort increased. Limitations. The study was limited to a sample of age groups: 20–24 years for students, 20–29 years for trade workers (in both periods). Conclusion. The calculation of the odds ratio (OR) allowed us to establish with a high degree of confidence that signs of mental discomfort, including asthenic and depressive signals, were significantly more often recorded during the period of self-isolation in both study groups: for students who are on distance learning (December 2020 compared to 2013): the coefficient of OR=5.4, (χ2=14.7;p<0.001);for sales workers: coefficient OR=15.0;(χ2=9.5;p<0.001). Ethics. Questions whose content does not meet ethical standards were not included in the study, as a result of which the conclusion of the biomedical ethics committee or other documents was not required. © 2023, Izmerov Research Institute of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved.

Exploring the Innovation of Assessment in Higher Education Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Postgraduate Programs at Lingnan University, Hong Kong

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 has brought tremendous challenges to higher education teaching and learning. Much attention has been put on online course construction and delivery to ensure the effectiveness of online learning. However, higher education assessment deserves more attention as it is also significantly impacted by the sudden switch from face-to-face to online. To examine how higher education institutions responded to the challenges in higher education assessment during the pandemic, this chapter conducted a case study of postgraduate programs at Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong to explore an appropriate assessment framework for online learning in a liberal arts education context. Through a quantitative approach, this study surveyed taught postgraduate students to explore the effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness of the assessment approaches applied by LU faculty members in the online and hybrid-mode classes. This case study aims to provide insights for improving higher education assessment under the pandemic crisis. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Water quality analysis in a municipal outdoor swimming pool complex before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Like all public utility, swimming pools had been treated with special procedures during the COVID19 pandemic. In addition to the basic rules (social distance + hand disinfection + masks), applicable to all citizens, the managers of swimming pools were obliged to reduce the number of swimmers and to increase the effects of water treatment. Monitoring, control and rapid response to unfavourable changes in the quality of swimming pool water are the basis for minimizing the risk of disease transmission or exposure of bathers to pathogens. The main purpose of this work is to analyse and compare the quality of swimming pool water in a municipal outdoor swimming pool complex, before (2018-2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). Water samples taken from a paddling pool for children (CP), a recreational pool (RP), and a sports pool (SP) were analysed. The results of the research, based on real case studies, were compared with the documents on water quality in swimming pools in force at the time. An analysis was carried out to determine the relationships between swimming pool water quality before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tested parameters determining the quality of water were physico-chemical parameters (temperature, pH, redox, and bacteriological parameters (colony forming units CFU of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Legionella sp.). Based on the results of the analysis of the parameters mentioned-above, the validation of the procedures applied during the COVID-19 hazard and their impact on the quality of swimming pool water were evaluated. The results of the pool water quality tests were discussed with particular emphasis on disinfection by-products (THM and combined chlorine). Detailed analysis showed better water quality in the first year of the pandemic (2020) compared to 2018-2019 (before COVID-19) and 2021 (the second year of COVID-19 pandemic). The following parameters were found to be significantly different: THM (before 0.069 mg/L and during 0.034 mg/L), free chlorine (before 0.86 mg/L and during 0.66 mg/L), and redox potential (before 667 and during 713 mV).

What are People in Bali Doing in Pandemic: Understanding the Shape of Health Behavior and the Pitutur Tua

In the early occurrence of the Covid-19 pandemic, Indonesian and the world regarded Bali having a unique mechanism. Balinese or Bali residents are assumed excellently immune or difficulty infected from Covid-19. Interestingly, Balinese do not show overwhelmed panic as occurs in other areas although the Covid-19 cases in Bali are not low. There are various reasons why Balinese's actions to protect their health consider beliefs, religion, and culture. This paper is a survey of the Balinese's distinctive perception and behavior to face Covid-19. The information was gained from comments, opinions, and information about typical behavior posted on mass media and social media. The main source of the information was the WhatsApp groups of Banjar community (60 people), Bali academicians (76 people), Hindu organization alumni (113 people), and Bali medical staff (30 people). This study collected the information and conversations during early months of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 when the Covid-19 cases skyrocketed and the government implemented the Community Activities Restrictions Enforcement (PPKM). This study concludes that the belief in the power of nature makes the sincerity and acceptance more easily appear. Moreover, tradition strengthens the trust. Support in social life also increases cooperative actions to the rules or advices of the Bali government and the custom village assembly to protect society from the pandemic.Copyright © 2021 Muslim OT et al.

When does breach not lead to violation? A dual perspective of psychological contract in hotels in times of crisis

Implicit psychological contract (PC) represents the dynamic employee-employer relationship, and unlike explicit human resource (HR) practices, PC is an underexplored topic in the crisis management literature. By capturing the dual perspective of hotel employers and employees through interviews, this study investigates the content of PCs and breaches of PCs during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The study identifies salient dimensions of employer obligations such as safety assurance and of employee obligations such as personal protection. While employees emphasized the transactional contracts to protect their individual interests, the employers tried to balance the transactional and relational contracts. The study proposes a dynamic PC breach model that indicates contract breaches lead to varied responses through a complex interpretation process. In general, the study suggests that ensuring mutual consideration is the best way for hotel employees and employers to pull through a crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Coronavirus politics: The comparative politics and policy of COVID‐19

This 654-page tome might be the most comprehensive look to date at how various governments - nearly 40 in all - have sought to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic during its first 10 months, from December 2019 to September 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with an immense growth in scientific literature, with more than 700,000 scientists publishing well over 300,000 items related to COVID-19 by the summer of 2021. Time and time again, from place to place, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that extensive public health expertise from an advisory agency meant relatively little if such counsel was discounted by politicians and public health agencies lacking their own decision-making powers. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of World Medical & Health Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Navigating old and new terrains of academic practice in higher education: indelible and invisible marks left from the Covid-19 lockdown

Higher education has been (re)shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic in ways which have left both indelible and invisible marks of that period. Drawing on relevant literature, and informed by an exchange catalysed through a visual narrative method, authors from four European universities engage with two reflective questions in this article: As academics, what were our experiences of our practice during the lockdown periods of the Covid-19 pandemic? What might we carry forward, resist or reimagine in landscapes of academic practice emerging in the post-Covid future? The article explores how academics experienced and demonstrated resilience and ingenuity in their academic practice during that turbulent time. Particular insights include entanglements of the personal and professional, and the importance, affordances and limitations of technology. In addition, the authors reflect on some of the ongoing challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, such as education inequalities. The article concludes by reprising the key points about what marks are left behind in the post-Covid present, and how these relate to the future in which relational pedagogy and reflexivity are entangled in the ways in which we cohabit virtual and physical academic spaces. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of London Review of Education is the property of UCL Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Comparative analysis of patients' satisfaction level, hospitalized before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction and aim. Measurement of the satisfaction level with health services is the most frequently used indicator, mainly because of its importance for determining the quality of the care offered. It is the key to succeed in achieving high-quality healthcare. The purpose of this study was to create a retrospective comparative analysis of the satisfaction level amongst patients hospitalized before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods. The study covered a total of 966 patients in 19 hospital wards, in the fourth quarter of 2019 (before the pandemic) and in the second quarter of 2021 (during the pandemic) at the Masovian Specialist Hospital in Radom. The level of patient satisfaction was assessed based on the questionnaire prepared and approved by the Quality Assurance Team in the Masovian Specialist Hospital. The statistical analysis was carried out on the basis of the STATISTICA 10.1 program, using the Pearson's chi square test, for the significance level at p<0.05. Results. The high level of satisfaction of patients staying in the hospital during the pandemic applied to the widely understood medical and nursing care as well as sanitary conditions in wards, especially the cleanness of rooms, bed linens and sanitary facilities. Conclusion. The biggest dissatisfaction of hospitalized patients during the COVID-19 pandemic involved certain restrictions of visitations and using pastoral services. © 2022 Publishing Office of the University of Rzeszow. All Rights Reserved.

IMPACT OF THE CORONA PANDEMIC ON THE DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE IN AUSTRIA

The COVID-19 pandemic and the policy measures imposed to contain the virus affected people's health and lifestyles. Based on data available to the Federal Agency "Statistics Austria”, this paper asks about the impact of the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 (and partly beyond) on the Austrian demographics and population. It shows that mortality increased significantly during this period but varied by waves of infection also with the introduction of different policy measures (e.g., lockdowns). There are also changes in the number of births over the course of the pandemic, which can be interpreted through insecurities related to lockdowns and vaccinations. People who wanted to marry or get divorced during the pandemic years were confronted with closed offices and restrictions on holding celebrations, which is why there were significantly fewer marriages and divorces. International migration dropped significantly, especially in the spring of 2020, when European and global mobility was severely restricted, with differences between people of different nationalities. This was also reflected in the number of asylum applications filed in Austria. Migrations within Austria were strongly reduced during the first lockdown in 2020, all further lockdowns had less influence on them. However, in 2020 and 2021 there were several phases in which more people moved from urban to rural areas than before the pandemic. The number of registered secondary residences – which took on new relevance in the context of mobility restrictions and the use of home offices – also changed: overall, their number increased during the pandemic, but in many municipalities, deregistrations of seasonal workers were also noticeable. © 2022 Austrian Geographical Society. All rights reserved.